Trilogy community votes to purchase neighborhood golf course from current owners

What started out at a dark and rainy day, ended with sunshine and champagne for Trilogy in La Quinta. Nearly three years after facing a potential water crisis, the local retirement community voted to purchase the troubled 229-acre Coral Mountain Golf Course on Monday morning.

“We are so excited that we have our course back," said Toni Clough, a resident. "“We moved here to be part of a PGA level golf course. And now we have it back, it's just a wonderful moment for our neighborhood.”

In July of 2021, News Channel 3 reported exclusively the owners shut off the water supply as they demanded tens of thousands of dollars from homeowners to pay for it. They also turned off the water features and padlocked the pumps. Prior to this, part of the course had already been foreclosed upon.

However, the HOA argued the owners of the course are legally required to maintain it, which includes paying for the water.

The next day, the Home Owners Association took the owners to court, citing an "escalating crisis" for the community, the golf course, and the ecosystem. On July 23rd, a judge ordered the water be turned back on. During the hearing, an attorney who represented the golf course's owners, revealed that his client planned on restoring the water services regardless of the judge's ruling.

However, the course eventually closed, and since then, the Trilogy community has garnered support to purchase it from the owners. Over the years the grass on the course started to yellow and die, and the sand pits became an overgrown eye-sore.

At one time, the course hosted the Skins Game, and was seen for all of its lush greens and beauty on national television. Now, residents are hoping to move forward and restore the course to its previous beauty.

“It was very scary because we didn't think we were going to have a golf course ever again, but now we know we will have one that will be even better than it was before,” said Rosina Cortesi, who has lived in the neighborhood for eleven years. Other residents we spoke to were also worried, saying they even considered moving away from their beloved community if things continued to worsen.

It took years, but Trilogy managed to rally enough support for a vote.

"We did over twenty town halls, focus groups, and Q&A sessions,” said Mark Reider, President of the Trilogy at La Quinta Maintenance Association. “We were ecstatic. We had over 92% of our members vote, which was 1,140 votes. And 1,011 voted in favor of the proposal.”

"It's been a testament to the community coming together to vote and pass this vote through,” said Abby Miller, an Onsite Real Estate team member with the John Miller Group. She shared her excitement about working with BlueStar Resorts to restore the course. "They have a great track record of success," Miller said.

Escrow is expected to close in February, and then a nearly eight-month multi-million dollar renovation on the course and restaurant will begin. KESQ was sent renderings of a few of the potential projects.

Residents are looking forward to the progress and possibilities.

"“As we clean up the golf course, it's going to allow our property values to improve, it's going to give us back the beauty that we haven't had in a couple of years,” said Robert Leonard, the President of the Men's Nine-hole Golf Club. "We'll be able to ride our golf carts to the course and socialize, things we expected to be able to do when we moved here."

Ann Smith and her husband are happy their neighborhood fought for the golf course.

“It means the rest of my life. To me, my friends, my husband," Smith said. "We are just so excited that this is where we're at, and that this is where we're going, and that this is where we're staying.”

The renovations are set to be completed in November, and then the course and restaurant will be open to the public.